I struggle to understand where the line is between a re-build and re-tool. But in my mind it is clear that you have to conclude that this re-build failed. And it largely failed because it's success hinged on progression of the core. And too many players failed to take another step and even regressed: Johnny, Monahan, Sam, Rittich, Jankowski, etc. You needed some of that group to find another level, and they didn't.
As others have stated, the series win over Vancouver, probably ended up being more of a curse as it motivated the franchise to try and open their contention window too early.
I would approach the off-season by trading Johnny and Monahan and seeing what type of returns you get. If it's picks then you are in a re-build. If there are roster players involved maybe it's a re-tool.
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